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Football: Broncos' Sanchez imparts wisdom on Monarch campers

Eight-year NFL veteran thrilled to land in Denver

LOUISVILLE — There are those moments in every football players tutelage that have resonating impacts on not just the type of player they become, but also the type of man.

Monarch football coach Phil Bravo understands that and no matter what he says to his Coyotes at any given practice or training session, it will never have the lasting impact that Saturday's experience will.

Bravo brought in longtime family friend and newly acquired Denver Broncos quarterback Mark Sanchez to work with some of his kids at the annual East County Football Camp and the message was powerful.

Denver Broncos quarterback Mark Sanchez high fives Monarch quarterback Jonston MacIntyre during the East County Football Camp at Monarch High School on Saturday. (Autumn Parry / Staff Photographer)

"There is only 32 of them in the United States and there is eight million football coaches, and it is an elite position and an incredible opportunity and job that NFL quarterbacks and players carry with them," said Bravo, who coached Mark's older brother Nick in high school out in California. "It is refreshing to see guys like Mark, who just have such a vigor for life and a strong enthusiasm for people and for kids and giving those words of encouragement."

On Saturday morning, the third and final day for campers, Sanchez worked primarily with Coyotes quarterback Jonston MacIntyre — son of University of Colorado football coach Mike MacIntyre — and CJ Schmanski on the little things that will eventually make them better come the fall.

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"They can see what type of dedication and precision and what type of commitment to technique that it takes to be an athlete at that elite level," said Bravo, whose team moves back down to the Class 4A Northern Conference this upcoming season. "They'll push themselves, even more so, at our level."

Said MacIntyre: "We were working on that three step to the left and (Sanchez) was helping me a lot on that. I was messing it up a ton and he taught me a lot of things on that as well as a lot of other footwork things."

In addition to the quarterback work, Sanchez also took a few reps and threw passes to the Coyotes receivers that got some work in running routes.

For Sanchez, Colorado might very well have been the optimal place to have a chance to resurrect his career that has taken him from the New York Jets to the Philadelphia Eagles and now to Denver.

""It's so cool to have a place when you are away from home like this and somebody (in Bravo) that you can trust and that your whole family knows," Sanchez said. "(Bravo) is family to us.

"And as soon as the trade went down, that was one of the first calls we got and we were both 'Are you kidding me? Is this real?' I'm just so happy it worked out."

And Sanchez realizes his impact on the kids and is humble about his role and the chance he has to develop kids. He didn't shy away from any sort of interaction with the players, coaches or families that were there to watch.

"Coach Bravo does such a good job of teaching these kids, not just football stuff ... the technique and all that, what football means; but it transcends football with him," said Sanchez, who ended the football portion or the festivities with a midfield sit down and motivational talk. "He gets the big picture and he wants these kids to be prepared for life."

Denver Broncos quarterback Mark Sanchez, right, takes a photo with Max Ryterski, a junior at Monarch High School, during the East County Football Camp on Saturday. Go to BoCoPreps.com for more photos. (Autumn Parry / Staff Photographer)

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